HSBC 辞退するd me switching 特別手当 because I had an account 21 YEARS ago: CRANE ON THE CASE

• e-mail

Late last year, HSBC was 申し込む／申し出ing a £205 cash 特別手当 for new 顧客s switching bank account.

I checked the small print and qualified for the 申し込む／申し出, so I 適用するd and got the account. But I realised later I never received the 特別手当 cash.

When I called HSBC to ask why, it said I wasn't 適格の because it was only for new 顧客s who had not had any HSBC accounts since at least 2018.

I once had an account with Midland Bank (now part of HSBC) but I の近くにd it more than two １０年間s ago. Can you help? D.W, Grimsby

否定するd: Our reader was told he couldn't get the £205 cash 特別手当 for switching his account (在庫／株 image)

Helen Crane, This is Money's 消費者 支持する／優勝者, replies:?Until recently, swapping your 経常収支 to a different bank was a lucrative game.?

Today there is just one provider 申し込む／申し出ing such an incentive ? Lloyds, which earlier in the week 開始する，打ち上げるd its new?£175 Club Lloyds switching 申し込む／申し出.

But in 2023, high street banks were 落ちるing over themselves to reel in new 顧客s with a bit of 解放する／自由な cash ? and a 記録，記録的な／記録する number of us took them up on it.

November saw the highest total number of 月毎の 経常収支 switches since the 現在の Account Switch Service was 開始する，打ち上げるd over ten years ago, with more than 162,000 people taking the 急落（する），激減（する）.

HSBC's 申し込む／申し出 in the autumn was 特に tasty, dangling a £125 carrot for 開始 an HSBC 前進する or 首相 経常収支, and then another £80 on 最高の，を越す for 開始 a 全世界の Money account for overseas spending.?

You went for it, but not before you duly checked all the small print to make sure you played by the 支配するs to get your £205.?

Banks make switchers jump through hoops to get their 解放する／自由な money, because their goal is to get people to use it as their main bank account rather than 簡単に switch, pocket the cash and run.?

This can 含む setting up a 確かな number of direct debits on the account, depositing a 明確な／細部 量 of money in a 始める，決める time-でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる or making a particular number of 処理／取引s.

And to stop people getting too switch-happy, they usually 制限する the accounts to new 顧客s only, or those who have not banked with them for a 確かな number of years.?

In your 事例／患者 HSBC 規定するd that to get the £205, 顧客s were not 許すd to have had an account with them since at least 2018.?

You didn't think this was a problem, as your last HSBC account was a no more than a distant memory.

In fact, it wasn't an HSBC account at all when you opened it, having done so in the 1980s with the now-消滅した／死んだ Midland Bank. HSBC acquired the 商売／仕事 later in 1992, and you の近くにd the account in 2003.

That was 21 years ago and the year The Da Vinci Code was published, England won the Rugby World Cup with a team featuring 星／主役にする player Jonny Wilkinson and Yugoslavia was 改名するd Serbia and Montenegro.

A long time ago: Our reader の近くにd his HSBC account in 2003, when The Da Vinci Code was published and Jonny Wilkinson's England won the Rugby World Cup?

So how could that stop you 開始 the account today?

When you didn't receive the £205 特別手当, you called HSBC to ask why. First, you were 簡単に told you had had an account after the 削減（する）-off date of 1 October 2018.

That didn't make sense, so you dug deeper and 設立する out the account you had was の近くにd on 6 September 2021.

You had asked for the account to be の近くにd in 2003 by 令状ing a letter to the Caerphilly 支店 of Midland Bank, as this was before you ? and many people ? had 接近 to the internet.

But HSBC never took 活動／戦闘 on your request, and the account had in fact stayed open all these years.

It still 辞退するd to 支払う／賃金 you the £205 after you explained what had happened, and that is when you 接触するd me.

You think HSBC should 支払う／賃金 you as it was the bank's error that account was never の近くにd.

I can understand why, after going through the annoying rigmarole of switching a bank account, you would be 失望させるd to 結局最後にはーなる with no reward.

Most banks have a 政策 to 凍結する or の近くに accounts if no 処理／取引s are made for a 確かな period, ーするために 妨げる them getting into the 手渡すs of fraudsters.

取得／買収: HSBC bought out Midland Bank, with which D.W opened his account, in 1992

In HSBC's 事例／患者, an account is 普通は classed as inactive or 活動停止中の if it hasn't been used for two years. However, it may take much longer for the bank to identify and の近くに it ? and in your 事例／患者, it stayed open for 18 years.

I 接触するd HSBC and said I thought it should 支払う／賃金 you the £205. It's now impossible to work out what happened to that letter you wrote in 2003, but it is abundantly （疑いを）晴らす that the account has been inactive.

It checked its 記録，記録的な／記録するs for the last 10 years and 設立する the account had not been used in that time, so it agreed to honour the cash 特別手当.?

An HSBC 広報担当者 said: 'We are sorry [the 顧客's] request to の近くに his account wasn't 活動／戦闘d at the time.

'We can see [he] did not use his account for 10 years 事前の to us の近くにing it in 2021 and we have now credited his account with the £205 支払い（額）.'

However, HSBC did also say that it had sent you some letters over the years 示すing that the account was still open.

You said you had either not received or not opened these, perhaps throwing them away assuming they were junk.

I am glad you got your cash 特別手当 in the end.

Fan: Our reader was hoping for a 調印するd copy of the new 調書をとる／予約する from Les 哀れなs 星／主役にする Michael Ball (pictured on 行う／開催する／段階 in 1988) - but she didn't get one

Where's my 調印するd Michael Ball 調書をとる／予約する??

In December, my husband and I went to an evening in conversation with the West End 星／主役にする Michael Ball at a theatre in London, where he was talking about his new 調書をとる／予約する.

I paid £106 in total, which 含むd £73 for the two tickets, a 調書をとる／予約するing 料金 and an extra £25 to get a 調印するd copy of Michael's new 調書をとる／予約する. The evening was organised by the events company, Fane.?

The talk was wonderful, Michael Ball was his brilliant self and even sang at the end.?But when I went to collect my 調書をとる／予約する, it sadly wasn't 調印するd.?

There was a gentleman next to me who was waiting to 選ぶ up his wife's 調書をとる／予約する and he was also disappointed for the same 推論する／理由, as were two other groups I spoke to.?

I paid £25 for a 非，不，無-調印するd 調書をとる／予約する that I could have bought for £10 on アマゾン, so I would like my £15 支援する.?

I 接触するd Fane and it said there was no 証拠 that a 調印するd copy of Michael's 調書をとる／予約する was 約束d. I looked 支援する on my invoice and it just said '調書をとる／予約する'. But I am sure it was advertised as 存在 a 調印するd 調書をとる／予約する.??

Why else would so many people say the same thing? Can you help??H.F?

Helen Crane replies: I'm glad to hear you still enjoyed the show, but sorry to hear it didn't end on a high 公式文書，認める as you 長，率いるd home without a copy of the 調印するd 調書をとる／予約する.?

Michael Ball is known for his 業績／成果s in Les 哀れなs, の中で other West End 攻撃する，衝突するs, and you were left feeling 公正に／かなり 哀れな yourself as you didn't think you got what you paid for.

Read more: Should my water 法案 DOUBLE if I 支払う／賃金 月毎の instead of twice a year??

We recently received our 最新の 法案 from South East Water and are 存在 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d £272.25 for six months.

But if I was to 支払う／賃金 月毎の, the 法案 says I would need to 支払う／賃金 £83 per month. That would mean £498 for six months or £996 for a year. Can that be 権利?

Often with 調書をとる／予約する 小旅行するs, the 調書をとる／予約する is sold 調印するd - or there is at least the 選択 to stay around at the end and get your 調書をとる／予約する 調印するd by the author if you wish.?

While I can't find any 証拠 that the 調書をとる／予約する you pre-購入（する）d was advertised as 存在 調印するd, I do think it is possible that this was the 事例／患者.

I 設立する an advert for another date on the same 調書をとる／予約する 小旅行する - not organised by Fane - which said the 調書をとる／予約する （機の）カム 含むd in the ticket price of around £35 - so the fact you paid an extra £25 for an unsigned 調書をとる／予約する on 最高の，を越す of your £36 ticket does seem pricey.?

I 手配中の，お尋ね者 to ask Fane about this, and check that you weren't 存在 不公平に 存在 done out of your autographed copy.??

But sadly, that was impossible. Fane doesn't have a phone number, 説 on its website that the phones are 現在／一般に 'not 存在 監視するd' and and directing people to its online FAQs.

I 設立する a 接触する form and have sent three 詳細（に述べる）d messages to this inbox over the last month, but have had no reply.?

It is really irritating when companies do this, instead of making it 平易な to 選ぶ up the phone or send an email to a real person.

Hilariously, the only 返答 I did get was an 自動化するd email asking me to 率 Fane's 顧客 service. That was not music to my ears.?

I take that to mean that the company will not be loo king into this 事柄 any その上の, and I'm sorry I couldn't be more help.?

But if anyone reading this has a 接触する for Michael Ball, and he might be willing to 調印する a 調書をとる／予約する for a disappointed fan - do get in touch.?